More Power

Older Ryzen

The newest Ryzen 5 3600 and 3600X processors improve upon the excellent 2000 series with enhanced efficiency and overall performance. If you want the outright best of the two, go with this CPU. Just bear in mind that this CPU craves for faster RAM.

Pros

More affordable

Six cores and 12 threads

Unlocked

Includes stock cooler

Cons

Slightly worse performance

No PCIe 4.0 support

Both the Ryzen 5 2600X and Ryzen 5 3600X are similar CPUs, but the latter comes out on top for being the newer processor with a smaller manufacturing process of 7nm, improved efficiency and performance, and competing against Intel counterparts in tests. The 2600X is a great deal if you're looking to save some money and don't fancy the PCIe 4.0 support for future-proofing your PC build.

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs

What 3rd-gen Ryzen brings

The Ryzen 5 3600X wins outright on the specs sheet. While it has the same core and thread count as the 2600X, it sports faster clock speeds, double the amount of L3 cache, and comes with support for PCIe 4.0 — the latter of which will future-proof your build. Interestingly, both processors have a TDP rating of 95W, which showcases the drop to 7nm manufacturing for AMD, bringing efficiency enhancements. It's a win-win for the processor, so long as you can afford the slight price hike compared to the 2600X.

The only drawback to the Ryzen 5 3600X — aside from the price — is the fact you'll need an AM4 motherboard that's up-to-date and supports the latest 3000 Ryzen processors. There's also the fact these newer CPUs from AMD work better with faster RAM, so you'll need to look at overclocking your modules or buying new ones to hit 3200 MHz and above. It's not the end of the day if you simply can't meet those speeds, however.

Ryzen 5 3600X is the choice for those seeking the best

The Ryzen 5 3600X takes what made the 2600X good and further enhances everything with a smaller manufacturing processor, better efficiency, thermals, and improved performance. AMD did such a job with the 3600X that it competes against Intel's Intel Core i5 9600K even in single-core tests.

More Power

The Ryzen 5 3600X is the perfect mid-tier processor for gamers and those who need a capable CPU in general. Not only with you be able to play games and get productive, but it'll perform better overall than compared to the older 2600X.

Go with the Ryzen 5 2600X if you want to save money

You can spend around $160 and enjoy a six-core processor with 12 threads ready to power through any game or productivity task you throw at it. While it's not as good as the 3600X on paper, nor does it match Intel Core-i5 counterparts, for the price it simply cannot be beaten.

Rich Edmonds

Rich Edmonds is a word conjurer at Windows Central, covering everything related to Windows, gaming, and hardware. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a device chassis. You can follow him over on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.